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Yokokawa H, Morita Y, Hamada I, Ohta Y, Fukui N, Makino N, Ohata E, Naito T. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with zinc deficiency: analysis of a nationwide Japanese medical claims database. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2791. [PMID: 38307882 PMCID: PMC10837122 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53202-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Zinc deficiency, affecting more than 2 billion people globally, poses a significant public health burden due to its numerous unfavorable effects, such as impaired immune function, taste and smell disorders, pneumonia, growth retardation, visual impairment, and skin disorders. Despite its critical role, extensive large-scale studies investigating the correlation between patient characteristics and zinc deficiency still need to be completed. We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional observational study using a nationwide Japanese claims database from January 2019 to December 2021. The study population included 13,100 patients with available serum zinc concentration data, excluding individuals under 20 and those assessed for zinc concentrations after being prescribed zinc-containing medication. Significant associations with zinc deficiency were noted among older adults, males, and inpatients. Multivariate analysis, adjusting for age and sex, indicated significant associations with comorbidities, including pneumonitis due to solids and liquids with an adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) of 2.959; decubitus ulcer and pressure area (aOR 2.403), sarcopenia (aOR 2.217), COVID-19 (aOR 1.889), and chronic kidney disease (aOR 1.835). Significant association with medications, including spironolactone (aOR 2.523), systemic antibacterials (aOR 2.419), furosemide (aOR 2.138), antianemic preparations (aOR 2.027), and thyroid hormones (aOR 1.864) were also found. These results may aid clinicians in identifying patients at risk of zinc deficiency, potentially improving care outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirohide Yokokawa
- Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Morita
- Department of Data Science, Nobelpharma Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Izumi Hamada
- Department of Data Science, Nobelpharma Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuji Ohta
- Department of Data Science, Nobelpharma Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Fukui
- Department of Academic Services, 4DIN Ltd., #805 Shinbashiekimae Bldg.1 2-20-15 Shinbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0004, Japan.
- Center for Promotion of Data Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Nao Makino
- Department of Academic Services, 4DIN Ltd., #805 Shinbashiekimae Bldg.1 2-20-15 Shinbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0004, Japan
- Center for Promotion of Data Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Emi Ohata
- Department of Academic Services, 4DIN Ltd., #805 Shinbashiekimae Bldg.1 2-20-15 Shinbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0004, Japan
- Center for Promotion of Data Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshio Naito
- Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
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